To figure out the best dosages for you, learn to evaluate your diet and nutrition needs. Check out comprehensive reference books such as Healthy Healing or Prescription for Natural Health. The recommendations for dosages in these books are for USP nutrients. Keep in mind that you need smaller dosages of whole food nutrients than USP nutrients because the body utilizes them better.
Understand the difference between once-daily multivitamins and other options.
Many people take once-daily vitamins thinking they will enhance their nutritional intake. Unfortunately, while a once-daily multivitamin is better than nothing, it is not concentrated enough to make a noticeable difference: One tablet is too small to fit the amounts of nutrients your body needs, especially if you are taking whole food vitamins. Multivitamins are designed for convenience, optimizing nutrition in one pill for dosages of Folic Acid but not for other important nutrients such as calcium.
If you really want an improvement in energy and health, choose a multivitamin that is designed to be used two or three times a day. These multivitamins will suggest you take from one to four pills each time. That’s a bigger commitment, but your body will thank you.
Learn More
Health World Online has a helpful section on nutrition where you can get the truth about vitamins and supplements. The web is full of purveyors of multivitamins, and you can find a list of vitamin supplements and online stores in SustainLane’s green product and business directory. However, if you’re looking for information, try your local health food store. Many have a wide selection and knowledgeable staff that should be able to answer your questions.
By Addie Evans
Updated August 15, 2008
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